Manipur: Newly Constructed Baily Bridge Collapses, driver dead as truck falls into river

IMPHAL-   One person went missing as a newly constructed Bailey bridge collapsed in Manipur’s Imphal West district when a truck was crossing it, officials said on Monday.

The incident happened at Mutum Phibou in the Wangoi police station area on Sunday when a truck carrying firewood was crossing the bridge over the Imphal river, they said.

The truck fell into the river. Locals managed to rescue three persons who were travelling in the truck but the driver, identified as Md Borajao (45), went missing, they added.  A search was underway to find the driver, officials said.

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“I have asked the officials concerned to submit an inquiry report within three days and to repair the bridge at the earliest. It seems the accident was because of a technical defect,” said Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Y Khemchand Y Khemchand after visiting the site.

However Local residents had advised the truck driver not to cross the bailey bridge. However, the driver insisted that the truck’s load was only about 11-12 tons and attempted to cross, leading to the incident. When the truck fell, three passengers managed to jump out, but the driver was trapped inside.

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A combined rescue operation by Wangoi Police Station, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and the Manipur Fire Service team recovered the driver’s body. The truck was found loaded with firewood on the upper layer, while a large amount of lumber was found underneath.

It was reported that the bailey bridge had collapsed twice before, although no casualties were reported in those incidents.